Equality

     The dictionary defines equality as "the state or quality of being equal." Most people refer to the mathematical definition of this word, but few look at it for what it really is. Equality is just that, being equal. The human race has fought for equality numerous times. From the equality of a minority group, equal rights for women, equal rights for slaves, and things of that nature. The world is now fighting for equality of the LGBT community. As of right now, there are 14 states that have legalized gay marriage. I happen to live in one of them. I believe that this shouldn't even be a fight. This should be something that is looked at like a normal thing. Dudes kissing dudes, chicks kissing chicks. It is what comes natural to some people. You shouldn't look at people with disgust or hatred because you aren't gay. Since every one likes to throw the religion thing around and shove the bible in people's faces when it comes to this, I think I shall incorporate these little passages in this post.

     Chapters 18 and 20 of Leviticus, which form part of the Holiness code, contain the following verses:

• 18:22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. (Leviticus 18:22 KJV)^[1]

• 20:13 "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them." (Leviticus 20:13 KJV)^[2]

- sited by Wikipedia.

     Why do people feel that this is wrong? Why do so many people look at this and believe that this is something that you need to enforce? Can I enforce a rule to slap you silly if I believe that you are stupid? No, I can't but I would definitely like to sometimes. There are definitely people that need it. Open your minds and your hearts. I love almost everybody. I despise a few people, but generally I can find the good in people and love them for the things that I like about them. So what if a man loves another man. Does that really bother you? If so, why does it bother you? Have you ever stopped and asked yourself that question? Does their love or the way the love each other bother you? Does their love in any way affect you? I see it all over the social media about the religious folk making a big deal about homosexuality. That it is a sin. That it is an abomination. If I have read my bible right and I do like to believe that I have, GOD wants everybody to love each other regardless of race or sexual orientation. I believe that the bible was just man's interpretation of what happened back in those days. I'm not a big religious nut nor will I ever be, but I do know a thing or two when it involves something like this. I will be one to admit right here that I once loved a man as more than a friend or a brother. I will never say that I'm disgusted with what I did. It was an experience that I will look back on and have no regrets. I'm not gay, but I can appreciate a damn good looking man. There are certain ones that my wife and I would fight over who got to "appreciate" them first. 

     As I look through the multitude of Wikipedia pages that I have up, I am inclined to look into Hinduism. Why you ask? Because they do not view homosexuality as a religious sin. I do not view homosexuality as a "religious" sin. Who cares about religion? Who cares what the bible says? Why should it matter what the interpretations of some old dudes have any effect on what YOU as an INDIVIDUAL believe? The answer here is that it shouldn't because every person is different. Every person has their own way of accepting things. Look deep into your own mind and try and find a reason as to why gay marriage is "so wrong". How does same-sex marriage affect the sanctity of marriage in any way? If people in Hollywood can get married for 72 minutes and then get a divorce, dudes should be able to marry dudes and chicks should be able to marry chicks. What ruins the sanctity of marriage is the inability for a spouse to be faithful and true. At least that is what my opinion is. Why would you go and get married to someone if you know you are going to be unfaithful. Some people do that so stay off the pedestal of "they never plan to cheat". No, but she tripped and his cock landed in her vagina. It is quite funny to try and figure out how that happens. Should I be concerned that two dudes get married? No, why would I? Does it affect me? No it doesn't and I wish them the best for the rest of their lives. Let's take a look at Neil Patrick Harris and his fiance David Burtka. Neil played Doogie Howser and a womanizing Barney Stinson in "How I Met Your Mother". He has played roles to be a straight man. He is in a very happy relationship with David and they have children. 

     To all of those that have children, what are you going to do if your child is gay? Are you going to be a horrible parent and shun them from your life? Are you going to hate them and try to "beat them straight"? Let someone get mad at me for being a parent and loving my children unconditionally. UNCONDITIONALLY!!!! That means no matter what you will always love them. If one of my boys comes to me and tells me "Dad, I'm gay," guess what will happen next. A hug, a kiss on the forehead, and dinner. Telling him that I love him. I would like to meet his boyfriend. The only way to kill this stigmata of homosexuality being an "abomination" is to just accept it and embrace it. If you aren't gay, cool. If you are gay, cool. Guess what, you will find love in all of the strangest places. I want my kids to find love just like I did. No one should be alone. Everyone needs and should have someone to love and to have someone love them in return. Don't be that close minded asshole that shuns and hates the thought of a dude kissing a dude. I would totally go stand in front of those stupid religious nuts and kiss another dude just to prove my point. 

     Be kind to one another and love unconditionally. The power of love is a strong one. Treat everyone equally and for god sakes vote YES to marriage equality for the LGBT community. I have before and I will do it again from now until the end of my life. I have a gay uncle and a lesbian sister in-law. I love them for who they are as you should. Smiles and laughter make your life last longer. Don't kill yourself with hatred and frowns. I have made my stand, have you? 

From the Arena,

Wickid

P.S. - Just something I have been thinking about for a while. If you are religious, feel free to leave CONSTRUCTIVE comments and open your mind to the opinions of others. Message me on G+ if you have a serious issue with this post. I have and will always support the LGBT community.

Parenthood......

     There are many things that I miss about being a kid. There are also a lot of things that I don't miss about being a child. There are some days that I still act like a child and I get very giddy when I get a new video game to play. I giggle like a little school girl when I play the game for the first time. Simple things still amuse me and stupid funny movies are the best kind of movie.

     Now that I have transitioned into full blown parenthood, I look back on my childhood days. Things like "nap time" are the things that I miss the most. If I would have known that I wouldn't be getting naps everyday as an adult I definitely would have slept when my parents told me to go take a nap. As an adult now, I get my sleep when I can. Most of the time is it usually at the expense of just falling asleep on the couch for twenty or thirty minutes while the boys are downstairs with me playing. I know that I am supposed to watch them, but they behave well enough to not get into too much trouble. It doesn't stop them from doing things to get into trouble though. There are other days where I wish that it was just the wife and I so that I could nap when I got home from work. Getting up early to go to work is something that I loathe and enjoy all at the same time. I hate getting up early, but once I do get up I am awake for the rest of the day. I like my job, but the early mornings are just killer.

     When it comes to the new video games, I look back to the days of the NES. You know, the Nintendo Entertainment System. The Mario/Duck Hunt game was the first game that I ever got to play. Who knew that the stupid dog on Duck Hunt could make you so mad? I also look at the supreme difference in the graphics and how well they have advanced. From block 8-bit games like Mario to the High Definition graphics for Skyrim and Assassin's Creed III. Who could have foreseen the joys of technology? I tried playing Oblivion for PC during my recovery time from my last surgery and had to stop. After playing such games like Skyrim and Final Fantasy XIII, I couldn't handle the horrid graphics. I am a victim of things looking too good to go back to things like that. I don't even care what people say about me for that, but I know that I love my graphics.

     I also look back on how I treated my parents when I was growing up. My four boys are trying to do things like I did when I was a wee lad. Things like getting mommy to say yes even after daddy says no. I can tell you right now how mad my dad used to get every time I tried that little stunt. He would get so red in the face and yell for what felt like hours. I find myself doing the same thing with my boys. I had always heard the rumor that your children will be at least ten times as bad as you were to your parents. I don't think that it is true because my kids are fairly well behaved. They have their bad days where listening is just something that they don't want to do. I may not have always respected my dad growing up, but I did fear what he would do to me if he ever caught me doing something bad. It was always the fear of that paddle that usually kept me on the straight and narrow. He didn't do a bad job raising me. I didn't end up in jail, I'm not doing drugs, and I have my own family with a damn good job. He may not always say it, but I know that he is proud of me. Since we are on the subject of children pulling stunts, I have come to learn the signs of them doing things they aren't supposed to be doing. It is actually very nice knowing that I can catch them and stop the bad act before it gets too out of hand. I can't say that I won't ever yell at my children, but I will make my presence known when I need to. Sometimes I wish my dad wouldn't have been so vocal with me. I wish that he would have just talked to me like I have so recently learned to do with my kids.

     How many of you parents wish that they had a "Parenting for Dummies" book? I know that I did when I got married to my beautiful wife. Instantly had two children to care for and sacrifice my needs to make sure that they were alright. Now, four years later, I have a total of four boys that try my patience everyday. Sometimes are better than others and I don't have to raise my voice. Other days are just full of yelling and high blood pressure. I always look forward to the good days. For the new moms and dads out there, THERE IS NO PERFECT PARENT. You will make mistakes and things will become very trying for you. Keep your chin up, smile often, and look forward to the days when you and your child will part ways. I don't say that so that you can look forward to getting rid of your kids. I say that with the knowledge and the confidence that my four boys will be productive members of society and will know right from wrong. Every thing that you can teach your child will stay with them for the rest of their life.

     Some days parenthood sounds like such a horrible idea. I wouldn't trade the choices that I have made in my life for anything. If I could go back and do it all over again, my wife and I would be celebrating about 8 years of marriage instead of 4. I love being a dad. I love watching my boys run up to greet me every day when I get home from work. It makes me smile every time. I am going to enjoy parenthood for as long as I can. Enjoy yours while you can. Soon, you will be kid less, but you will always be a parent.

From the Arena

Wickid

Exam Season

     It is that time again my dear friends, Navy Advancement Exam results are out and open to the public. Congratulations to those that were advanced and good luck for next time to those that didn't. I happen to be one of the ones that didn't make it. I'm actually in good spirits about it too. This is only my second time taking the E-6 exam.

     To those that know how these things work, then you know that up to E-6 is a bi-yearly exam cycle. Once you start making the attempt for E-7, you only get one exam a year and that is coming in two months. I am excited to know that at my almost 8 1/2 year point I have taken the E-6 exam twice. Not many people can say that they have accomplished such a feat. I know that with the knowledge that I have of my job, I will eventually make rate and advance at least one more time before I retire. I have a goal of doing at least 20 years and retiring. If I do happen to go further in my career than E-6, then so be it and I will be in as long as I can be. Yes, the wife and I are the same page for that. By the time I end my current enlistment I will have right at 11 years in. Why stop? It is one of those mind things. I have already gone halfway to the ultimate goal of a pension. Why quit? It just doesn't make sense. Some people do quit at the halfway point and I don't hold that against them. It is their choice and I thank them for their service that they have done. I would expect the same thing in return if I was to ever decide that I didn't want to do this job anymore. I happen to enjoy the hell out of my job and it gives me great pleasure to grow gills and breathe water for as long as I do. There is something about being hidden from the world that gives you a thrill that a roller coaster can't give you. I have spent 6 years, 4 months, and 4 days onboard a sea-going vessel. At least half of that has been spent beneath the waves doing what I do. I enjoyed every minute of it and as of right now, I can't see myself doing anything else. Shore duty has been a hard transition for me because I am so used to the boat life.

     Anywho, I have rambled off topic enough. I really need to get into college so I can learn how to stay on topic when I do these things. I only had a 13.5% chance to advance to E-6 for this cycle. Now for those of you with questions, a "cycle" is every time we actually take the exam. For example, this cycle was the 220 cycle. These cycles are sequential so my next exam cycle will be 221. So in March, you will probably see another post similar to this one stating whether or not I will get to my goal or not. I can say that the exams are rather easy to understand and if you know your information, really easy to pass. I have never failed a Navy Advancement Exam. I have always passed but not advanced. Unless, of course, I actually advanced. There is so much that goes in to the final multiple that most people have a hard time seeing how much they missed it by. I'm looking forward to seeing how close I was. The last exam I missed it by 13.99 points. To many people, that seems like a whole lot, but to me it is actually a small margin. That just means that I have to study just a little harder to make those points up.

     Well, there goes another Advancement Season into the books of my naval career. Time to get to work on studying and cleaning the house. I may even be a good dad and cook something substantial for my kids instead of making chicken nuggets or hot dogs. I can't help it if that is all they want to eat.

Until next time, from the Arena

Wickid

My soul

     I think at some point my soul has left my body and has become a part of the video game world. I can not tell you how many hours over the past couple weeks that I have spent glued to the couch with my XBox controller in my hand and my mind wrapped and lost in the realm that is Skyrim. I have lost hours of sleep over this game and it has started to take its toll on me. I haven't become irritable or anything but I have managed to do so much that it seems like all I think about is what I am going to do next as the Dragonborn.

     For those that have played any of the Elder Scrolls games, you know what I am talking about. For those that don't know, once you get into any of these games and start getting things done and discovering new places, you tend to lose yourself. I have spent about 150 in-game hours dungeon crawling, dragon slaying, and exploring. I have planned out everything that I want to do in one session of gameplay and typically complete my goals within about 3 hours or so. I have found that it has been very easy to just tune everything out and forget about the household once I hit that magical start button and the game loads up. I have made my Sneak skill legendary and made a multitude of armor and weapons to suit my current needs. If it wasn't for the fact that I had to go to work or get up the next day, I would be playing this game nonstop. The sad part about all of this is that I have only completed about 18% of the game. There is such a long list of things to do that I would take about an hour to just list them all. I have pretty much become a master at killing people with a bow from a fair distance away. The kill sequence and the slow motion shot is just something to be admired. I like watching the arrow leave my bow and pierce into the neck or head of my unsuspecting victim. I have killed over 10 dozen animals so that I could use their hides to make leather, which in turn is used to make armor so that I can sell it to make money. I have smelted way too many ores to count and I currently have Exquisite or Flawless weapons and armor. Most things take about 5 swings of a sword to kill and sneaking up behind someone to slit their throat or jam a dagger into their back has become something of a routine for me. I have cleared about 75 dungeons and murdered about 50 individuals just because it was fun for me to do. Nothing is sweeter than taking a victims life without them knowing you are there. It reminds me of playing Assassin's Creed and jumping from the roof of a building and knifing a man in the throat. It is just a sweet sensation. It gives me chill bumps just thinking about it right now. Normally, I would be setting up the XBox and getting the game going so that it is ready for me once I put the children to bed. Since the wife is recovering from surgery, I have "gifted" her the console so that she can watch movies while she is resting. She has currently made it in to Season 4 of the Gilmore Girls. I haven't played since Friday and it has made me a little antsy.

     Since I can't play Skyrim, I have turned to other sources of video game entertainment. I have recently started playing League of Legends again. It has been far too long since I have even thought about playing that game. The last two nights have been spent learning how to play again without getting too badly slaughtered and getting yelled at by people who are probably younger than me. In fact, most of the people that play this game are in their teens. What I wouldn't give to go back to those times of having nothing but homework to do and then hopping on the computer to play this game for hours on end. I still feel that way sometimes when the wife is at work and I just sit down and lose myself into the deep immersion of a good story line in a console game. I'm not much of a PC game player, but I do happen to like League a lot. In fact, once the children go to bed I will be logging on to play for a few hours tonight. As long as I stay near my phone and respond to her requests, she doesn't really know what I am doing downstairs. Hell, I have even thought about doing exercises while waiting for my respawn timer to reach zero. At least I will be doing two things at once and getting a nice workout while playing. Then again, I haven't really been dying so that may or may not pan out like I want it. I blame my buddy for coming over on Monday to play. It's his fault for getting me into a game that requires literally no interruptions.

     Speaking of interruptions, have you ever been so involved in a game that everything else is just obsolete? I seem to go into this little invisible box that has one window that may or may not be open depending on what game I am playing. League is easy to have a window because if you die, you have to wait to respawn. If I am playing on the console, don't bother me. There is no window and you will have to leave a message after the tone. That is how immersed I get when I have a console controller in my hand. As much as I want a PS3, I think that I will end up spending too much time playing Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and IX and very little time doing actual housework. Yes, I said PS3. I enjoy being a Console Generation behind. I know it works and that mostly all of the bugs have been worked out of the system. Plus, I won't have to feel the disappointment from not being able to get the newest generation of console because they are all sold out. I don't even want to spend the money to get either of the new consoles because I know that there will be problems with them.

     Oh boy, enough about my soul and how it is forever lost to the video games that I play. "I am a gamer. Not because I have no life, but because I choose to have many." I know, I'm a nerd.

Until next time,

From the Arena,

Wickid

I Am Ashamed.....

     Of myself for leaving all of you Wickidites for the last two months. Well, almost two months. I think that I am two days shy of being away for two months. I deeply regret that I have been away. It has been an arduous and long two months. Things have gone up and down. We have done a fantastic roller coaster ride of emotions. Things have been said and done that probably shouldn't have been said and done. Tempers have flared and apologies have been uttered. To say that life is too simple would be the biggest lie of the century. Anywho, time to get to the updating of what has been going on in the Arena. I will be multitasking so this may take longer than normal. Cooking dinner while trying to wrangle children and typing this is almost beyond my normal capabilities.

     First things first, we have recently relocated to a different house to accommodate my special needs child. We now have a fenced in backyard so that he can have a therapy dog. It took four days and numerous trips in our van to get from one house to the next, but we did it and we are much happier now that the tantrums are fewer than what they have been. It was after receiving numerous complaints from previous neighbors because of his screaming and his tantrums, we felt that it would be best to try and get a different house away from people. Needless to say, we got what we asked for. We legitimately live in solitude here at the new place. No, not the hold from Skyrim, but we are the only family in our little strip of houses. The last family that was here moved out a few weeks ago under orders and now we are the only ones left. It is very nice to not have to worry about people who don't understand complain about something that is sometimes beyond our control. However, this little slice of privacy is very nice to have.
   
     The children, the older ones, have discovered that I am now the meanest man alive. No, I haven't yelled at my children in quite sometime. I actually enjoy not having to raise my voice because my blood pressure isn't as high. The older boys have come to know what boredom is and why it is such a horrible punishment. I have recently come to the conclusion that yelling is no longer effective with my children. I have somehow managed to remain calm even in the face of disgustingly horrible and furious anger. Instead, I have embraced the knowledge that my wife has tried to instill in me for the last four years. I won't yell at them anymore, but I will make punishment about ten times harder. If you talk to my oldest stepson he will tell you that I am the meanest man on the planet. this is partly due to the fact that the last time he was here, he spent about a week and a half doing nothing but chores. I make them work for their playtime. Sometimes they get their playtime and sometimes they don't. It all depends on the severity of the trouble that they are in. I am one for education, so anytime they get in trouble at school, they are only limited to chores and reading because playing is a "reward" for hard work. My house was practically spotless because of all of the work that we did during that week and a half. The house is still clean now because I have kept up on it and I think that they are finally learning that being obnoxious little hellions gets them nowhere. It was a proud father moment once I realized that "child labor" in the form of chores is totally acceptable. I even helped them so that they didn't feel like I was just being a tyrant. He even told his dad that he wanted to spend more time with him because of me being "so mean". The wife was nice enough to explain some things to him before he tried to make a rash decision. He still thinks I'm "mean" but at least now he understands why. All of this came about because of both of the older boys getting in trouble multiple days in a row at school. I just sat in deep thought for about two hours while the boys were restricted to their chairs until I finally came up with something. We had a talk about my expectations and what I wanted them to do while they were in school and at home. Then I proceeded to give them a multitude of chores to do to finish out the day. This has been one of the best parenting lessons that I have picked up.

     Work has also been one of those places that was once fun, but is now the cause of some serious stress. It isn't the fact that my job as a Safety Division person is so difficult, it is more along the lines of the civilian wench that works in the same office with us. I do have to specify the wench because the normal civilian lady, Barb, who works in there with us is phreaking awesome. We have tons of laughs with her and she is always there to lend a hand. This woman, let's just name her Denise, is a complete biotch! I believe that I wrote in an earlier post about her and how the division first met her. She came in all pissy because we were enjoying our lunch and having some laughs like all sailors do. Turns out, she doesn't like that and after "25 years of dealing with snobby sailors", she knew how to handle us. She called our chief, who in turn, turned into the biggest pansy I have ever met. No real backbone to speak of and he bends over backwards to please Denise, who isn't even in the office on a normal basis. She comes in maybe once a week and thinks that she owns the place. It has gotten to the point that we can't even fart in our office without having to clear it through her. Scenario: My buddy Rob and I had just finished lunch and we were in the middle of a heated Cribbage battle. Each of us fighting to get the final points to claim our respective victories. Rob brought in chicken cordon bleu, homemade cordon bleu. He also had a Dr. Thunder for his delicious beverage of choice. He let out one burp, ONE BURP, and this woman had a friggin cow. She went off on him like he had just killed her puppy and she caught him red handed. She demanded that he be seen by a doctor and come in with a medical condition that requires him to burp so that she would have to keep her mouth shut. It was the first time that Rob had burped all damn day. It wasn't like he was trying to disturb her work or anything. One simple bodily function that happens on a normal basis after finishing a soda and food. We all kept our mouths shut in fear of saying something completely mean and nasty to her. Trust me, I had insults on standby. My insults had insults on standby. Rob goes and sees the doctor the next day and comes back into the office. The news was what we all expected to hear. The doctor told him to tell this woman to go F(*& herself because there was no way that he was going to "diagnose" him with Bodily Functions. He said this loud enough for "Denise" to hear. There was a palpable tension in the room because I know that she wanted to say something but she couldn't because of what Rob had said. I have since talked to my chain of command from my parent shop to see if I can get out of there and into an environment that is more suitable for me.

     I will leave the talk about Skyrim for the next post because that would just make this post way too long for you guys.

     The wife just recently went through surgery this week. She is fine so don't worry. She is still sore and is having a little trouble breathing, but you would too if you had your chest region worked on. I feel bad though because today is our 4th Anniversary and we have spent a grand total of about 3 hours together because she is still feeling so bad. I don't mind because I know what that feeling is like. After having more than a dozen surgeries on the left side of my face, I know how she feels. It is very nice to be on Shore duty right now because I have until the beginning of next month to just sit at home and take care of children and make sure that she is doing okay. Theoretically, I will be on here more and more as the weeks go on. I have just been so terribly busy and off in my own little world. I apologize again to you Wickidites!

Stay tuned for the next issue from The Arena!


Wickid